Profiling and quantitative analysis of underivatized fatty acids in Chlorella vulgaris microalgae by liquid chromatography‐high resolution mass spectrometry. Issue 16 (24th June 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Montone, Carmela Maria; Aita, Sara Elsa; Catani, Martina; Cavaliere, Chiara; Cerrato, Andrea; Piovesana, Susy; Laganà, Aldo; Capriotti, Anna Laura
• Is Part Of: Journal of separation science. Volume 44:Issue 16(2021)
• Page Start: 3041
• Page End: 3051
• Publication Date: 2021-06-24
• Subjects: biofuel -- compound discoverer -- fatty acids -- lipidomics -- untargeted analysis; Separation (Technology) -- Periodicals; Chromatographic analysis -- Periodicals; 543.089
• DOI: 10.1002/jssc.202100306
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1615-9306

Abstract

Abstract: Chlorella vulgaris is a popular microalga used for biofuel production; nevertheless, it possesses a strong cell wall that hinders the extraction of molecules, especially lipids within the cell wall. For tackling this issue, we developed an efficient and cost‐effective method for optimal lipid extraction. Microlaga cell disruption by acid hydrolysis was investigated comparing different temperatures and reaction times; after hydrolysis, lipids were extracted with n ‐hexane. The best recoveries were obtained at 140°C for 90 min. The microalgae were then analyzed by an untargeted approach based on liquid chromatography with high‐resolution mass spectrometry, providing the tentative identification of 28 fatty acids. First, a relative quantification on the untargeted data was performed using peak area as a surrogate of analyte abundance. Then, a targeted quantitative method was validated for the tentatively identified fatty acids, in terms of recovery (78‐100%), intra‐ and interday relative standard deviations (<10 and <9%, respectively) and linearity ( R 2 > 0.98). The most abundant fatty acids were palmitic, palmitoleic, oleic, linoleic, linolenic, and stearic acids.